The Visiting Professorship for Women (VPW) program was initiated by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in 1982 to address the under representation of women in science. This summary which draws on a study completed in 1993 considers the effects of the VPW program and the nature of the participants. Both strengths and limitations of the existing…

This guide is designed to help educators and community leaders plan and implement professional development initiatives for family child care providers at the community level, and is based on Dayton Hudson Corporation's 1992 Child Care Aware (CCA) campaign to educate child care consumers about quality family child care. Part 1 provides an overview…

Many educational professionals have some knowledge of assessment practices, ranging from principles of test development and use to the practices associated with the use and interpretation of standardized and teacher-made tests. The skill levels associated with many important student assessment principles are, however, not consistent with the…

Exploring the problem of high turnover rates for counselors at a therapeutic camp reveals that low job satisfaction--specifically lack of advancement and educational opportunities--is one frequent factor influencing resignation. This study examines the possibility of increasing agency support of personal advancement by creating individual…

This paper presents findings of a study that investigated the effects of the peer-assisted leadership program (PAL), a program created at Far West Laboratory, on the networks and professional isolation of educational managers. A one-group pretest-posttest design (Campbell and Stanley 1966) was used to test the hypotheses, which expected that PAL…

An assessment of the professional needs of science teachers was conducted in order to aid in the development of more effective preservice and inservice teacher training programs in Malaysia. A modified version of the Teacher Need Assessment Questionnaire was administered to 78 science teachers. Data analysis indicated that the top 25 perceived…

This paper reports on how reform efforts since 1991 have affected teachers in an urban, K-6 elementary school of approximately 450 students. Teachers were predominantly female, middle-aged, and of European descent, while students were increasingly African-American and poor. Children were considered well-behaved by teachers, but less respectful…

This paper examines the consequences of principals' graduate training in educational administration for school effectiveness and asks: Are schools led by administrators with extensive, formal preparation more effective than schools led by principals with little or no graduate training? The data were derived from the School and Staffing Survey…

Although much has been written to describe the changing role of teachers in the professional-development school, little is known about the role of the principal in bringing about educational change. This paper describes the role of the principal and the issues involved in implementing change in Texas Professional-Development Schools (PDSs). The…

In recent years, professional development for public school educators has come to be seen as a key component of school improvement plans, particularly large-scale systemic change programs. This Digest outlines what research and best practice suggest about effective professional development for elementary and secondary teachers working in…

In 1991, the superintendency was characterized by a high turnover rate and a shortage of qualified applicants willing to take the job. In addition, no two states had exactly the same certification standards for superintendents. This paper presents findings of a national survey that examined superintendent-certification requirements by state.…

Addressing policies and concerns related to transfer and articulation, this manual provides guidelines developed by the New York State Transfer and Articulation Association to assist college personnel in serving transfer students. An introduction describes the purpose, goals, and objectives of the Association; identifies the intended audience; and…

This digest examines the spread of mentoring in the United States, obstacles to realizing the potential of mentoring as a vehicle of reform, needed research, and selected issues of policy and practice. While the education community understands that mentors have a positive effect on teacher retention, the question of what mentors should do, what…

Research supports the following four key elements of any comprehensive education-improvement effort: (1) high standards for all students; (2) teachers better trained for teaching to high standards; (3) flexibility to stimulate local reform, coupled with accountability for results; and (4) close partnerships among families, communities, and…

Research seeking to evaluate the effectiveness of SBM has been complicated by the complex policies and practices that have been implemented with great variation. Given this difficulty, this book presents findings of a study that sought to understand the ways in which school-based management (SBM) actually operates in a school recognized for its…